Abreu-Gallahue

Sabrina Abreu, 25, and Patrick Gallahue, 30, were married on Aug. 13 at the Church of Gethsemane in Park Slope by Rev. Elizabeth Alexander. Their reception was held at Sunny’s in Red Hook, and the couple now resides in Park Slope.

The bride is the daughter of Evelyn González and José R. Abreu of Isabela, Puerto Rico. She grew up in San Juan and attended Cupeyville School, earned her degree in Spanish literature from the Universidad de Puerto Rico and received her masters in publishing from New York University. She is currently Education Sales Manager at Lectorum Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc.

The groom is the son of Martha Gallahue of Park Slope and John Gallahue of Manhattan. He grew up in Harlem, attended Central Park East High School, and pursued international studies at Long Island University. He is currently a reporter for the “New York Post.”

About the wedding
The bride says: “We got married on the hottest day of the year!”

The groom says: “It would have been rough in suits and gowns, but fortunately we kept it casual: mostly T-shirts. And people got to cool off with free beer!

“We learned swiftly that weddings are a racket run by rapacious thugs. So it was a cozy, homespun affair catered by family. My sister and brother-in-law made a fantastic gazpacho and pulled pork sandwiches, and the guests were treated to authentic Puerto Rican cuisine by Sabrina’s family. It was generously hosted by Sunny’s who had a previously-scheduled blue grass band already lined up.

“We had sort of a de facto honeymoon. We actually put in for vacation long before we had the ceremony finalized, so we went to Malta before getting hitched. But we plan on taking a week in January to go to Puerto Rico.”

How did you meet?
The bride says: “We met while working at The Brooklyn Papers. For our first date, Pat invited me to Sleepy Hollow for the day. Supposedly a bunch of people were going, including other Brooklyn Papers staffers, but mysteriously, everybody bailed!”

The groom says (jokingly): “I didn’t want to say anything, but Sabrina was not that popular around the office.”

Clarke-Ortiz

Cheryl Ann Clarke, 33, and Julio Ortiz, Jr., 38, were married at sunset on a Maui beach on May 5. The reception was held at the Towne House on 17th Avenue in Brooklyn. They now reside in Bensonhurst.

The bride is the daughter of Barbara and the late Harry Clarke of Sheepshead Bay, where Cheryl grew up. She graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School and attained a degree in secretarial science at Kingsborough Community College. She is currently employed as a legal secretary for a Manhattan law firm.

The groom is the son of Isabel and Julio Ortiz, Sr. of the Bronx. He graduated from Morris High School and is currently employed as a security guard at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.

Love story:
The bride says: “We were married at sunset on a beach in Maui, just the two of us, on 05/05/05. What date is cooler than that? Saying our vows together, with the waves crashing and the beautiful sun setting, was simply amazing. Our years dreaming of going to Hawaii together made it that much more special by marrying there.

“We had our cake, our toast, a dove release and beautiful photos. Afterwards, at our hotel, the nightly performers invited us on stage. They sang a special song for us while we had our first dance in front of all the guests. We felt we were the only people there.

“We had the traditional wedding reception with 85 guests when we returned home and played our Hawaiian wedding on video screens near the entrance, so our family and friends felt like they had been in Hawaii with us.”

Who proposed, and how?
The bride says: “He proposed. I came home from work, and when I turned on the lights, a bunch of rose petals formed an arrow pointing to my bedroom. On the bed were more petals that spelled out ‘Will you marry me?’ I turned around and there he was, on one knee. The rest is history.”

How did you meet?
The bride says: “We met at a dance club 10 years ago. He was dancing, and we just noticed each other. We danced for hours and hours, and we just took it from there. It’s been a long road but worth every minute.”

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